New European framework harmonises long-term observation of environmental and socioecological changes

INGENIO (CSIC-UPV) participates in a study that establishes common variables and methods to obtain comparable scientific data on European ecosystems. The proposed system integrates the observation of soil, water, biodiversity and the atmosphere with the study of interactions between nature and society

Long-term environmental observation is essential for understanding phenomena such as climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. However, differences in the variables, methods and protocols used by different research groups make it difficult to compare the data collected. A new study conducted by European scientific institutions, including INGENIO, a joint research centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), seeks to overcome these limitations through a common observation framework that can be implemented across the European research infrastructure eLTER RI. This large-scale scientific infrastructure spans 20 countries and includes sites representing some of Spain’s main ecosystems, such as Doñana, Sierra Nevada and the Ebro Delta, among others. In the Comunitat Valenciana, the network includes three plots dedicated to the continuous monitoring of holm oak and Aleppo pine forests.

The study, published in the scientific journal Earth’s Future, was authored by 45 researchers from institutions across Europe. Pablo F. Méndez, a researcher at INGENIO and one of the study’s authors, explains: “This initiative brings together research teams from different countries under a common observation framework that makes it possible to compare information across regions and improve our understanding of the major environmental changes currently taking place.”

The system, known as the Framework of Standard Observations, was developed by research teams from 25 European countries, drawing on the expertise of the eLTER RI network, which comprises more than 650 sites dedicated to long-term ecosystem research and observation. The framework defines the variables to be monitored and their corresponding methods, with the aim of generating comparable long-term data across five areas: soil and geology, water, biodiversity, atmosphere and human activity.

Interactions between ecosystems and societies

Unlike other systems that focus exclusively on ecological, biodiversity or climate variables, this framework explicitly incorporates interactions between ecosystems and societies. Factors such as land-use changes, socioeconomic dynamics, ecosystem services and governance structures are considered key to understanding how natural systems evolve and how they are affected by social dynamics.

“This system will make it possible to generate more comparable and useful data to address complex environmental challenges from an integrated perspective,” Méndez highlights. “It is important that European research infrastructures incorporate not only ecological and climate information, but also the social, economic and political dynamics that influence territories,” the researcher concludes.

Observing socioecological governance

Alongside the research published in Earth’s Future, and as part of the same Framework of Standard Observations, INGENIO researchers have contributed to developments related to the observation of socioecological governance. Pablo F. Méndez and Marta G. Rivera Ferre have worked on a tool designed to analyse aspects such as the stakeholders involved, decision-making processes, power relations, and institutional and land ownership structures that shape the management of natural resources and ecosystems.

Reference: Zacharias, S., Lumpi, T., Weldon, J., Dirnböck, T., Gaillardet, J., Haase, P., et al. (2026). Achieving harmonized and integrated long-term environmental observation of essential ecosystem variables – The eLTER framework of standard observations. Earth’s Future, 14, e2025EF006743. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025EF006743